(I could kick myself for not asking Shih Cooks and Anita on any advice on how to photo raw meat, it appears to be a bit of theme in my posts...its the Alberta, dad-was-a-meat-cutter-i-was-a-meat-wrapper omnivore in me) If you read my last note you would know that I had the ultimate privilege of attending the BlogHer Food 2012 conference in Seattle this past weekend. Blew. My. Mind. In so many ways...but mostly in the camaraderie, support and encouragement of hundreds of (mostly) woman food bloggers coming together under one roof. If I was drunk on inspiration on Friday night, I was hungover from that same cocktail on Saturday night. Inspired, but nauseous with inspiration.
(in search of sun, I decided yellow and bright would be the theme between the two buns) BlogHer Food 2012 was a fantastic event. Overall, a grade of A plus plus plus and plus. And while sure, some sessions were more energizing and thought provoking than others, the whole of the parts was more than I had ever expected. Even if you never intend to food blog, or blog at all...I encourage you to throw yourself in the middle of a room with women who are passionate about both....its a giant,warm bear hug times ten.
(its indoor burger night on this late Tuesday evening) I have a lot of thinking to do. I feel ever inspired to cook great food and shoot great photos right now. Little sixtyone45 and I spent the better part of the day travelling by jet plane to the sunny, dry desert of Arizona. We met up with Mr. sixtyone45 and we have a few weeks of serious vacay staring us down. I look so forward to simmering in the inspiration of the amazing women (and men) (and boy...read his blog! amazing, sweet and brilliant!) I met over the course of a couple days. In the meantime, I look forward to the break from the homefront to test and experiment and PLAY in our desert kitchen.
(the abundant selection of buffalo at the local Sprouts was too tempting to pass up) Tonight it was a "go to the best grocer we can find within a five mile radius and cook what looks good" night. The result was a toasted organic whole wheat bun, lean ground buffalo, an applewood smoked blue cheese (yum. yum and yummmmmmmmm, especially with the California Zin a dear friend left) and a fresh made mango salsa/relish/chutney (the debate discussion between Mr. and I continues...) Day one of summer vacay starts now and based on the contentment of Little when he hopped in the soaker tub.....
...its going to be a fantastic holiday!
Buffalo Burgers with Fresh Golden Currant Tomato Mango Salsa
for the burgers...(made three, coudla shoulda been four)
3/4 lb of fresh ground buffalo
1/4 lb of fresh ground pork
1 tsp liquid smoke (I am still looking into exactly what this is)
1 T. sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt.
1 1/2 tsp pepper.
1/2 tsp worcestireshire (thank you spell check) sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
fresh mango salsa....
1 yellow mango, diced
1/4 cup diced white onion
1 clove diced garlic
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 small red tomato
5-6 golden currant tomatoes (small yellow)
juice of half a lime
1. Combine all of the ingredients for the burgers in a bowl. Be careful not to over mix. Just mix with hands until well combined. If you can let this sit in the fridge a couple hours, the flavours intensify greatly.
2. Form into 3 or 4 thin patties. With the leanness of Buffalo, the thinner you can make the burgers the better.
3. BBQ or flat top (we cooked ours on a flat top grill and used a pot lid (or metal bowl) to steam them (put them on grill, at a bit of water around the burger and throw a lid on it). With the inclusion of ground pork, its important the burger is cooked to well,
4. To make the salsa, finely chop the six ingredients and combine in a bowl. Like the burgers, if you can make this earlier in the day and let it come together in the fridge for a few hours, the flavours will be that much better.
5. Assemble your burgers. We like our buns lightly toasted, so as the burgers are nearing done-ness, throw a very light layer of mayonnaise on the tops and bottoms and place on the grill until your preferred done-ness is reached. Place a piece of crisp lettuce on the bun, then the burger, followed by some crumbled strong cheese (we used smoked applewood blue), then the salsa. Put the lid on and enjoy....
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